McManus impresses as Smith earns Hibs reserves a draw

12:33

A LATE goal from second half substitute Darren Smith earned Hibs Reserves a 1-1 draw with Rangers at Meadowbank Stadium.

The game gave Tam McManus and Merouane Zemmama a chance to impress manager John Collins. McManus was busy in attack and tested Joe Sagar in the Rangers goal on more than one occasion. Zemmama is obviously short of match practice and, apart from a well-flighted free kick which McManus headed powerfully at Sagar, the only other noteworthy aspect of his game was when he was yellow carded in a tussle with Rangers' Paul Emslie. Rangers took the lead in only the seventh minute when a ball to the back post was headed back across the face of the goal, where Andrew Shinnie scored with a rising shot from a tight angle.

Darren Smith replaced Zemmama at the interval and Hibs certainly had a lot more purpose about them after the break. With only nine minutes left, Smith was upended in the penalty box and, although Sam Morrow immediately flashed the ball into the net, referee Gary Hilland awarded a spot kick. Smith himself took the penalty and slipped it low into the bottom left hand corner of the net for the equaliser.

Hibs finished as the stronger side with McCluskey on target with a 30-yard shot before a Shiels cross was held by Sagar under severe pressure from Morrow.